The rising mainstream popularity of “Gay Pop”

Queer women like Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish are among those leading a new movement in pop music, and no, Jojo Siwa didn't invent it.

Queerness has played a significant role in pop music for decades, but today “gay pop” has emerged as its own genre. 

Dubbed Sapphic Pop, the movement includes a new wave of queer women not just singing about girlhood, but explicitly celebrating their sexual desire for women. Its empowering message, with themes of self-identity and unapologetic expression of interests, are resonating with a broad audience, including both straight and queer listeners.

Artists like Doja Cat, Phoebe Bridgers, Brandi Carlile, and Megan Thee Stallion are at the forefront of this wave, bringing queer narratives into the spotlight. New artists like Chappell Roan, hailed as “the future of pop” by Rolling Stone, released her latest song “Good Luck Babe,” which charted on the Billboard Top 100. Roan is also known for introducing a unique aesthetic into her art, drawing influence from drag culture. Other mainstream “gay pop” artists/bands releasing today’s hits include Billie Eilish, Reneé Rapp, Troye Sivan, Lil Nas X, and MUNA.

Billie Eilish’s queer anthem “Lunch” is her highest-ever Top 100 debut and contains sexually explicit lyrics like, “I could eat that girl for lunch, yeah, she dances on my tongue, tastes like she might be the one.” (Fun fact: “Lunch” has even become so mainstream that it has crossed into the world of video games, being a featured song on Fortnite’s “Festival Main Stage” for gamers across the globe to play.)

About 28% of Gen Z identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, more than any previous generation. “Gay pop” is widely supported by Gen Z fans, reflecting that today’s youth are more accepting of different sexual orientations and feel more comfortable coming to terms with their own and others’ identities than ever before.

The Sapphic Pop movement coincides with an increasing number of queer characters on television and film, lesbian representation in major award categories, and a surge of visibly queer themes in mainstream pop and rock music. Meanwhile, grassroots movements are flourishing, with a rise in lesbian events and the opening of new lesbian bars and pop-up venues.

Lesbian-themed films like "Love Lies Bleeding" and "Drive-Away Dolls" are making waves at the box office, reintroducing sexual themes in cinema.

Jojo Siwa claimed to be the inventor of gay pop, saying, "When I first signed with Columbia, I said I wanted to start a new genre of music. They said, 'What do you mean?' and I said, 'It's called 'gay pop.' It's like K-pop but it's gay pop." This comment was met with a lot of scrutiny, as “gay pop” has a long history that dates back to the 1920s, including names like Big Mama Thornton, Elton John, Prince, Boy George, RuPaul, and Lady Gaga, among others. Siwa later clarified, “I'm not the president [of gay pop], but I might be the CEO, or the CMO,” suggesting she can bring attention to the genre.

Regardless of Siwa’s moment in the spotlight, there is no doubt other artists are currently gaining traction in the realm of queer pop. However, musical artists embracing queerness wasn’t always the case. “Switched on Pop” podcast producer Reanna Cruz pointed out on NPR’s 1A that, in the past, lesbian singers had to hide their sexuality to sell records.

1A host Jenn White questioned how social media has contributed to gay and sapphic pop becoming more mainstream, saying, “It points to this difference in perhaps the stories people are allowed to tell about themselves publicly as artists and I wonder how social media has perhaps changed the degree to which artists have control over their own narratives.”